Cracking The Death Star
by Lionchilde
Summary: 4th in the Vader and Cat series.  Vader supposed he should have realized the cat would find its way into his TIE fighter...


4th in the Vader and Cat series.

In order, they are:

1._Cracking the Armor  
_2. _Anotrher Disturbing Crack.  
_3. _Completely Cracked...and the Cat Came Back.  
_4. _Cracking the Death Star_

Someone suggested this one, but I can't remember who. Whomever it was, thanks! Up next: Cat goes to Coruscant...

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**Cracking The Death Star**

Vader supposed he should have realized that the cat would find a way aboard his TIE fighter. He had already learned that telling it to stay was a futile gesture. Trying to convince it that it couldn't follow him into a space battle was just as likely to be pointless. However, when the Rebel pilots began their X-Wing assault, he had firmly removed the animal from its perch on his shoulder and left it behind a locked bulkhead-- or so he thought.

Not only was the kitten capable of occupying far more space than a being of its small size should have been able to, it was also possessed of an uncanny ability to squeeze into crevices which the laws of physics seemed to dictate would be far too small. Its favorite location was the miniscule space between the Sith Lord's desk and the wall, where it could stare and meow at him until he attempted to reach down there for it. Whenever he did so, he had the unmistakable feeling that the animal was laughing at him, since his efforts to grab it inevitably failed.

He experienced a similar sensation when, in the middle of the dogfight with what remained of the Rebel attack squadrons, he heard the curiously cheerful little mew and the cat's fluffy head popped up from underneath his seat.

"Cat!" he shouted, trying vainly to swat it while it climbed up his leg and, in some strange and impossible feat of feline gymnastics, managed to land on the fighter's control panel.

Of course, this occurred just as he head the lead fighter's position locked and was preparing to fire. The shot went wide, impacting the side of the Death Star, while Vader again attempted to swat the cat while keeping one hand on the control yoke.

The cat seemed not to mind at all and was busily prancing over the controls and rubbing against the Sith Lord's gloved hand. With the kitten nudging the back of his knuckles, he accidentally triggered the blaster several times, but naturally none of the shots struck the Rebel leader.

"The Force is strong with this one," he muttered absently. "Cat, will you _get_ out of my way!"

He took another swat at it, again missing, though this time he managed to come close to flicking its ear with his pinky finger. It blinked back at him in annoyance, then began to rub its head against the screen of his targeting computer.

"MOVE!"

Finally, it scurried out of the way, but before Vader could capitalize on his momentary triumph and put an end to the Rebel pilot in front of him, one of his wingmen was suddenly vaporized by overhead blaster fire. Stunned, Vader craned his neck in an attempt to locate the new enemy. The cat, meanwhile, recovered from its temporary fit of sanity and leapt into his lap.

"What!?!"

Another shot struck, this time knocking Vader's craft into a spin. The cat shrieked and dug into his leg with his its claws, scraping frantically against the alloy as it tried to keep itself from falling.

"Stop that!" Vader yelled, desperately trying to right the ship. "Cat! I am not a scratching post!"

It paid no attention, and for several very long seconds, he could do nothing but fight with the TIE while the cat attempted to claw him to death. Then, just as he was about to pull out of the spin, a massive shockwave shook the small craft.

_The Death Star,_ he realized. Somehow, the Rebels had managed to destroy the Emperor's battle station. To make matters worse, the blasted cat was trying to claw its way behind him and hide under the security of his cloak. He sighed, immediately knowing that he would have no such refuge from Palpatine.

"I don't know how, and I don't know why. But I know that this is your fault."


End file.
